The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
2017 Season Preview: The Infielders
1/19/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB head softball coach Marla Townsend returns six players and adds four newcomers to the infield for the 2017 season.
The Blazers finished third in the conference with a .971 fielding percentage, 1,134 putouts and only committed 46 errors, while the team’s 22 double plays placed them fourth in the conference.
“This year’s infield will be comprised of a good mix of veterans and underclassmen who play like veterans,” Townsend said. “We are excited about the depth at each position and the versatility of each player.”
SENIORS
Mary Warren started 52 games last season and had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage at first base. The Ocoee, Fla., native had an impressive offensive season as well, hitting .309 in 136 at-bats.
Warren led the team with 36 RBI, 11 home runs and a .566 slugging percentage. She was third on the squad with 42 hits, 77 total bases and crossed the plate 14 times.
Danii Fernandez started 52 games for the Blazers at third base last season and had a .948 fielding percentage with nine errors. She led UAB with 104 assists, had 60 putouts and seven double plays at the hot corner.
Fernandez batted .248 with 32 hits and scored 10 times. She finished the season with four doubles, nine RBI and 36 total bases.
Amy Waters saw action in 42 games in 2016 and boasted an impressive .983 fielding percentage with only two errors. She was responsible for 73 putouts, 46 assists and turned six double plays at second base and shortstop.
Waters finished the season with a .265 batting average in 83 at-bats. She tallied 22 hits, 27 total bases, five RBI, three doubles and scored five times in her junior campaign.
JUNIORS
Rachel Dunsford played in 23 games last season and started 14 of them. She had a 1.000 fielding percentage and recorded 37 putouts with three assists at third and first base and three double plays.
The Cantonment, Fla., native batted .268 with 19 total bases, 11 hits and two home runs. She was fourth on the squad with a .463 slugging percentage and finished the season with six RBI in 41 at-bats.
Haleigh Sisson saw action in three games last season at first base and finished her sophomore campaign with three at-bats.
Newcomer Makayla Hayes will don the Green and Gold for the first time this season at second base after transferring to UAB from Columbia State Community College where she played two seasons under head coach Johnny Littrell.
Hayes had a .377 batting average, 45 RBI, launched 11 long balls and was named All-Conference First String Team Utility Player in 2016 during her two-year stint at Columbia State CC.
SOPHOMORES
Analyse Petree is the lone sophomore in the infield for the Blazers. She played in 35 games and tallied 29 putouts, 22 assists and five double plays for a .962 fielding percentage in her freshman campaign at shortstop.
At the plate, Petree had 11 hits and 13 total bases. She recorded two RBI, two doubles and crossed the plate three times.
FRESHMEN
Rian Brown joins the Blazers from Springville High School in Springville, Ala., where she will be used primarily as a utility player. She was named All-State in 2015 and 2016 and holds the school record for most career home runs and single-season home runs and also helped her team win two state championships in 2015 and 2016.
Natalie Erwin, a Ridgeland, Miss., native, played varsity softball at Ridgeland High School under Gerald Ray and will play second base. The six-year letter winner was named all-district, awarded Mississippi Preps Top Performer of the Week and named MAC Fastpitch All-Star Game MVP for the 5A North.
Ashton Clem hails from Moody, Ala., where she played under Amanda Ellis and Becky Seymour at Moody High School and will play third for the Blazers. She was named to the 2015 All-County Team and also named to the 2015 All-State Second Team. Clem finished her senior season with a .372 batting average and a .484 on-base percentage.
UAB softball will open its 2017 season Feb. 9 when it participates in the Paradise Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.
For more information on UAB Athletics, visit UABsports.com. Fans can find UAB softball on Twitter and Instagram at @UAB_SB.
